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Chessville
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I love a happy ending. Or, at least a happy middlegame.
Breaking Through, subtitled How the Polgar Sisters Changed the Game of Chess, is Susan Polgar’s story of their journey through chess society, up to the present day. This most recent telling, from an “inside” point of view, expands and gives balance to what has already been written. For that reason alone (there are many others) Breaking Through is an interesting and recommendable read.
Not for the first time was there worry about the possible effect of early and intense exposure to pawns. John Graham noodled in Women in Chess Players of the Modern Age (1987):
Disparaging remarks about the Polgars could not always be attributed to lesser lights, as conventional wisdom might suggest. Gary Kasparov, who today no doubt regrets his words, early on likened the girls to “trained dogs.” (It is amusing to rewrite Samuel Johnson’s snarky comment "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." Mr. Kasparov, a woman playing chess is hardly at all like a dog walking on her hind legs; but beware, she may rise up and kick your tail!) While he supports Fischer’s efforts to improve the lot of chess players in general, Kasparov once complained “…women, this is the Polgar problem. They are spoiling the professional chess world with their conditions.” (Excuse my French, and apologies to Jennifer Shahade, but that sounds just plain bitchy.)
The value of a current Polgar book by a Polgar (Susan’s Queen of the King’s Game, with Jacob Shutzman, came out eight years ago) is substantial. Even sympathetic writers don’t always come across benignly. Women’s International Master Cathy Forbes, who wrote The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius? (1992) containing a delightful collection of lightly annotated games, history and crosstables, still managed to make Lazlo Polgar at times look like a grade-B movie cross between Pavlov and Fagin. Tibor Károlyi, lovingly and deeply annotated 89 of Judit’s games or game positions in Judit Polgar: The Princess of Chess (2004), but even he fussed:
Perhaps in reading Breaking Through, and following Susan’s and Judit’s day-to-day chess adventures on the internet, Mr. Károlyi has been reassured. Too, call me “old fashioned”, but even though Sofia plays professional chess much less than her sisters these days, she enjoys her life as an artist, as a mother of two children, and a wife of an orthopedic surgeon – only the selfish side of the pawnpusher would see this as “sad.” (Or, as The Who sang, “The kids are all right!” Hmmm. Did Pete Townsend know the Polgars?) As the Polgars grew, the support and encouragement (and tutoring) they received from many Grandmasters was heartening.
The opposition they faced from bureaucrats along (and in) the way was unbelievable. It’s almost funny to note that back in 1986 Susan qualified for the Zonal stage of the Men’s World Championship, but wasn’t allowed to go further because, after all, she wasn’t a man… Then again, when the American women’s team of Rusa Goletiani, Irena Krush, Susan Polgar, Jennifer Shahade and Anna Zatonskih returned victoriously from the 2004 Women’s Olympiad with the silver medal, they discovered that the US Women’s Olympiad Program, which had honed their chess skills to a fine edge, had been officially cancelled. La plus ça change, la plus c’est la même chose... The Contents of Breaking Through – Chapter One: Susan (games and combinations) Chapter Two: Sofia (games and combinations) Chapter Three: Judit (games and combinations) Chapter Four: As a Family Chapter Five: The Ultimate Breakthrough Chapter Six: Women’s Chess: Questions, Comments and Answers Chapter Seven: Special Women’s World Chess Champions Index of Opponents Index of Openings There are also 8 pages of color and black & white photos. The fifth chapter was written by Paul Truong, a long-time friend of the Polgars. The sixth chapter is based on a compilation of questions and answers from different sources, including a Chess Café interview. [Editor: see also Susan Polgar's 20 Questions interview right here at Chessville.] Many of the games presented are annotated with the beginning and developing chess player in mind, with a comment after each move. The combinations range from fun to challenging, and always instruct. This is the end of one of Sofia’s victories from the National Scholastic Championship, which she won at age five:
Sofia Polgar – Gabriella Hajdu
1.Qg7+!
Rxg7 2.hxg7 mate This was played in the “glass tournament”, where games were conducted on a wooden board with glass pieces:
Judit Polgar – Anatoly Karpov
Breaking Through is a tale of triumph, as well as a personal window into the excitement that can accompany top level chess (not to mention its “special” treatment of girls and women). Chess may have at times been a stern taskmaster for the Polgars, but it also has allowed them to travel (providing their Federation believed they had been well behaved, of course) and to meet many interesting like-minded people. Susan is now only in her mid thirties, Judit in her late 20s, so the tale of the Polgar girls is hardly yet fully told. We may trust they will each live “happily ever after,” but that sunset is still decades off. (Will Sofia, like Susan, one day make a stunning comeback?) Judit’s top-10 play continues to excite the chess world, and Susan’s whirlwind of activity in the US has left many slack-jawed at her energy, reach and vision. I would recommend Forbes’, Károlyi’s, and Polgar & Shutzman’s books to Polgar-philes, but more than any of them, I see Susan Polgar’s Breaking Through as a perfect gift for a middle school or high school student (boy or girl) who would benefit from the inspiration of the story within its pages. A hardcover that has been very well-produced by Everyman Chess, Breaking Through would make a perfect “coffee table” book – providing, of course, there were a chess set beside it, and a young person in front of it.
As I have told my wife, what I want for Christmas this year is a t-shirt
with a picture of Susan, Sofia and Judit on it, and in big letters on the
back my plea: I want to play chess like a girl!
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Chess
has had its favorite stories of prodigies, those of little boys [sic]
looking on as fathers, uncles and grandfathers pushed pawns, waiting
their turn to reveal their true genius. It was not until the 1970s
and 1980s, however, that we began hearing of a trio of Hungarian girls
who were home schooled, studying the Royal Game as much as eight hours a
day – and playing it with extremely high hopes. Reaction was
swift; from curiosity to downright jealousy (the girls were, it was
felt, taking other players’ places on teams & tournaments, usurping
others’ prizes & appearance fees, etc.).jpg)
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